A MUM and daughter have been found guilty of being part of a conspiracy to fleece an elderly widow out of more than £500,000.

Wendy Bell, 57, of Greenside Lane, Cullingworth, was warned jail was unavoidable by Judge Colin Burn after she was convicted of fraud and conspiracy to defraud by a jury at Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

Her daughter Lisa Bell, 30, also of Greenside Lane, was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.

Helen Banks, 42, of Howbeck Avenue, Riddlesden, was found not guilty of conspiracy to defraud.

The three defendants held hands as the verdicts were delivered.

Some people in the public gallery cheered as Mrs Banks was acquitted.

The Bells, who gave no reaction in the dock, were remanded on bail to be sentenced at the Crown Court on February 13.

During the trial the jury was told the Bells had grossly inflated their bills for caring for housebound Audrey Hammond, now 92, of Ings House, Cracoe, near Skipton, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease.

Mrs Hammond paid out a total of £1,138,360, between February 2010 and September 2012, under a private arrangement to be looked after by a group of people.

During the trial, prosecutor Stephen Wood told the jury that Wendy Bell, Mrs Hammond's care manager, received an overall sum of £217,850 from her over that period.

Lisa Bell, whom the court was told turned up for a shift in full make-up, short skirt and high heels, received £66,524, but transferred £26,150 of that cash to her mother.

She worked at Ings House under the guidance of her mother in 2009 to provide emergency cover. Latterly, she was earning £960 a month from Mrs Hammond for working two Saturday shifts each month.

An extra £1,000 went into her bank account from Mrs Hammond, which she transferred to her mother.

Wendy Bell told police Mrs Hammond asked her to recruit carers under a private arrangement to cut out agency fees.

They had previously all denied conspiracy to defraud Mrs Hammond, between February 14, 2010, and September 25, 2012.

Following the verdicts, Judge Burn told the Bells: "You have been convicted at the end of this lengthy trial of serious matters, particularly you Wendy Bell.”

Addressing her, he added: “A custodial sentence is absolutely unavoidable.

"In any event the offending passes the custodial threshold.

"It is most important you co-operate with probation services until then.”

Four other defendants had pleaded guilty to their involvement in the fraud ahead of the trial and will also be sentenced next month.

Amanda Carroll, 44, of Park Avenue, Shipley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and two charges of fraud.

Linda Mynott, 60, of Garforth Road, Keighley, Caron Gilbert, 33, of Red Holt Crescent, Keighley, and Alice Barker, 59, of Ragland Avenue, Keighley, had all admitted conspiracy to defraud offence.

Alice Barker's husband Edward Barker, 57, of Ragland Avenue, Keighley, was too ill to stand trial.

Marsha Girvan, 42, of Bank, Oxenhope, was cleared of the conspiracy charge before the start of the trial.

The prosecution discontinued the case against Amanda Carroll's husband, Christopher Carroll, 43, of Park Avenue, Shipley.

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